May 11, 2023
On January 1, 2023, Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska and Express Scripts (ESI) started the phased roll out of electronic coordination of benefits (eCOB). For a member who has Premera as secondary coverage, this means that the pharmacy can process the member’s claim against both primary and secondary plans at the pharmacy counter, eliminating the need for the member to submit a paper claim to Premera for reimbursement of the primary plan’s cost shares.
Microsoft members were the first group to get eCOB on January 1, 2023.
Premera and ESI will turn on eCOB for the rest of the Premera book of business in the coming months.
May 25, 2023
eCOB will expand to Alaska fully insured groups and AON Exchage.
June 29, 2023
eCOB will expand to Alaska OptiFlex and self-funded groups.
This move brings Premera to industry standard for COB claim processing at the pharmacy counter, reduces the number of paper claims coming into Premera for processing, and reduces a key member pain point as identified over the past few years.
Contact your Premera representative for more information.